Track-by-Track Discussion with Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey

I was all over the track-by-track discussion of If/Then the musical on Sirius XM this morning. Fascinated, as I get to listen to the composer Tom Kitt and playwright Brian Yorkey candidly discuss their insights and experiences while putting together the musical production, If/Then. Their honesty with their own lives and experiences, transcending into the plot and characters' depth is very refreshing.  This kind of transparency turned the theater from an entertainment venue to a personal experience that could not otherwise be replicated. 

They briefly discussed the 11 o'clock number, with the truth and power that they wanted to bring home in the final moments of the show.  While they were composing, they touched on the false starts and places they looked for inspiration, to the other great 11 o'clock numbers of musicals from the past.  Tom Kitt was honest, that at first he was intimidated by what was already written but pushed-on in the race to get it done.  I think that's why I loved his numbers, the discussion, and the show. He rocked the composition and passion with solid truth and inspiration.  "Always Starting Over" is a fantastic number, and Idina poured her life into it when we witnessed her singing it a few weeks ago.

I was so grateful for this show on the night we saw it.  Experiencing the show, for Mike and I, came just as a climactic moment in my treatment with a chronic illness, at an exact time that resolution emerged out of confusion.  The concept of an 11 o'clock number is new to me in semantics, but very familiar as I become more enlightened to conclusions and turns in this great life we get to live.


When are you starting over?

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